gluten sensitivity - neuro symptoms?

I had some gastro issues a little over a year ago... had an endoscopy and bloodwork done-- all came back negative for celiac... I have had 2 major episodes with back pain since then. Also have had some arthritic issues in my fingers. Anyway, had tons of other bloodwork done, xrays, emg, and a brain mri to rule out other things like MS, RA, vitamin deficiencies, etc...

2 days after the MRI I started getting weird fluttering sensations in my left leg and arm and that has been ongoing for about 6 months... some days better than others, but it hasn't gone away. I have been seeing a chiro for 2 months and she can't figure out why she can't relieve it if it is a pinched nerve.

No one can figure it out. My family doc thinks anxiety, but that's crap. I've been anxious forever and never had weird symptoms like this. I don't have any issues with vision, balance or strength... my arm and leg just don't feel normal.

Anyway, I read online that some people with gluten sensitivity experience neuro issues in their limbs even if a negative celiac test.

Did anyone experience this?

I am considering trying gluten free for a while to see if it helps since the doctors can't come up with anything else.

I am worried about how difficult it will be. Can anyone help get me started? Is there an easy way to test it out without having to completely change my families eating habits?

Comments (14)

I am considering trying gluten free for a while to see if it helps since the doctors can't come up with anything else.

It can't hurt. I can't promise it will help, but you never know. People do experience some strange neuro symptoms as a result of gluten sensitivity.

I am worried about how difficult it will be. Can anyone help get me started? Is there an easy way to test it out without having to completely change my families eating habits?

That depends on what your family's eating habits are. If you normally eat a lot of processed food, it will be very very difficult to be honest. If you normally cook from scratch, the transition is really simple. Just choose meals that don't contain flour or pasta or bread. Rice and potatoes, for example, are naturally gluten free. When you start eating rice-a-roni type things and potatoes from a box, you start having problems.

We usually have some kind of meat, some kind of starch, and some kind of vegetable for each dinner. Roasted chicken, steak, broiled fish, pot roast, or pork chops are good unless of course you add bread crumbs or something. Rice (preferably whole grain), potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash (I sure wish my kids liked squash) or corn are easy starches. Any green vegetable is great.

Tacos or fajitas are also easy to adapt to gluten free. Just serve with warm corn tortillas and beware of seasoning mixes or sauces in cans and you'll be fine. If you end up doing this long-term it will be worth learning which brands of sauces or seasonings are safe; but until then, just use fresh ingredients. Most single-ingredient dried spices are fine, just check the label.

For lunch, it's hard to go wrong with salads. Just be careful about your dressing and of course don't put crutons on it. I like my salads with boiled eggs, shredded cheese, some kind of meat (bacon!), and ranch dressing. Mmm. :) (Kraft's regular ranch is GF).

I wouldn't bother with gluten free bread during your test run. If you really really can't live without bread, buy Udi's. You're better off going without for a few weeks, though, so you have a chance to sort of forget what "real" bread feels like in your mouth.

Thanks for the ideas. Everything we do is from scratch for the most part-- but when we have pizza or chicken stew... things like that I use wheat flour, so I guess I'll have to try some new recipes. I saw one for paleo bread-- just wish almond flour wasn't so expensive!

And keep in mind that Spelt is a form of wheat. If you're going to buy alternative flours, I suggest sticking to ones that say "gluten free" on them until you've had a chance to learn all the different names for wheat.

From the symptoms you described, you may want to consider earthing and reducing EMF exposure first. Detox from any neurotoxins (a variety of methods exist). Up your Vit D and healthy animal fats. Raw milk, for example, is linked to reduction of arthritis, most likely from pasteurized milk proteins being harder to digest and cause inflammation. Last, try yoga. Stretch all the ligaments and nerves to help irritated muscles slide past each other correctly. GL!

As for EMF exposure.. we are pretty cautious... we have our cell phones off or on airplane mode at home. We have wired internet, corded phones, etc.

I did get a Q-link pendant that is supposed to help protect the body from environmental stress-- not sure I see a major difference yet though.

I spoke with the nutritionist at my chiro office and she wants me to do a 10 day liver detox-- basically eliminate everything and then gradually add stuff back in to kinda reset my system and see what if anything triggers my symptoms. Only issue is that I'm still breastfeeding my 2 year old so I think I'd feel better weaning before detoxing since breastmilk is right where the toxins will be released.

I am beyond frustrated.

Maybe I'll give the raw milk a try-- we have a great organic grass fed source at our farmer's market.

My husband and I went gf this year and it takes a while to get the hang of it but has been beneficial to our health. I like Elizabeth Hasselback's book and think it is helpful when getting started. I don't make any exceptions to eating gluten but I do still eat oats. I think some cannot have them since they go down the same processing equipment and would likely be cross contaminated. I love quinoa pasta. It doesn't have a funky taste to me the way that some rice pasta tastes. You may have luck shopping at places like EarthFare or Whole Foods. I've also found that I can live without my old snacks (little debbies, cheese it's, wheat thins, pop tarts, etc) as long as I have something else to munch on (popcorn, xochil chips, apples, almonds, marshmallows on occasion, rice crispy cereal). It took a little while, but now I don't crave a lot of the foods I used to eat. Best wishes and hope you feel better soon!

You have gotten a lot of great ideas...just chiming in to one point you made...with stew, I either don't bread the meat, or I use millet flour. There are a ton of gf flour mixes out that you could use for breading as well, Pamela's is my favorite. I use a millet flour/cornmeal combo (with salt, pepper, chili powder) for making breaded chicken (strips, nuggets, etc.).